National Center for Policy Analysis

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) was an American nonprofit think tank established in February 1983 to research and promote private-sector alternatives to government regulation, taxation, and direct public provision. Its work addressed a broad range of domestic policy questions, including health-care reform, tax policy, Social Security, pensions, welfare, education, environmental regulation, energy, and retirement savings. Rather than operating as a commercial brand, NCPA functioned as a research, communications, and policy-advocacy organization whose publications were intended for legislators, journalists, business audiences, and the general public. The organization was founded by British businessman Antony Fisher and a group of Dallas business leaders: Russell Perry, Wayne Calloway, John F. Stephens, and Jere W. Thompson. Economist John C. Goodman became its founding president. NCPA initially operated from offices at the University of Dallas before expanding its presence to Dallas and Washington, D.C. Its institutional model reflected the broader network of free-market policy organizations that sought to influence public debate through studies, commentaries, media appearances, and proposed legislative alternatives. Among the issues associated with NCPA was retirement-policy reform. The organization received media attention for advocating pension changes, including automatic enrollment of employees in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans. It also participated in the Cooler Heads Coalition, a group that challenged policies associated with the Kyoto Protocol and questioned the prevailing scientific and policy arguments concerning human-caused global warming. NCPA additionally published material disputing peak-oil forecasts and addressing the economic effects of environmental regulation. The organization experienced a significant leadership dispute in 2014. The NCPA board and John C. Goodman accused one another of misconduct, and Goodman departed the institution. Later leadership listed in public organizational materials included board chairman Steve Ivy, president and chief executive James H. Amos Jr., and executive director Allen West, with those roles documented as of July 2016. NCPA's finances became increasingly difficult during its final years. Publicly reported nonprofit filings show substantial variation between revenue and expenditure levels across the late 2000s and early 2010s. In July 2017, after what the organization described as three years of serious financial difficulty, its board voted to cease operations immediately. The original organization is therefore defunct. Some of its publications and historical materials have remained accessible through sites maintained by former associates, including NCPAThinkTank.org and archives associated with the Goodman Institute. Those successor or archival websites should not be treated as evidence that NCPA itself remains operational.

The National Center for Policy Analysis was founded in February 1983 in the United States as a nonprofit public-policy think tank. Its creation was associated with British businessman Antony Fisher, who helped establish a number of market-oriented policy institutions, and with Dallas business leaders Russell Perry, Wayne Calloway, John F. Stephens, and Jere W. Thompson. Economist John C. Goodman served as the founding president. The organization began with offices at the University of Dallas and later developed operations in both Dallas and Washington, D.C. NCPA's stated purpose was to formulate and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control. Its research agenda covered several major areas of American domestic policy, including health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare, education, retirement savings, energy, and environmental regulation. The institute used policy papers, media commentary, public education, and legislative recommendations to advance market-oriented approaches. Its work was directed not only at specialist audiences but also at journalists, policymakers, business groups, and members of the public. Retirement policy was one of the issues that brought NCPA broader attention. The organization supported pension reforms that included automatic enrollment in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans, an approach intended to increase participation in workplace retirement saving. It also addressed Social Security and other questions concerning retirement security. In environmental and energy debates, NCPA participated in the Cooler Heads Coalition, an alliance of nonprofit policy organizations formed in opposition to the Kyoto Protocol's implications for consumers and to policies based on anthropogenic global-warming claims. NCPA also published arguments challenging peak-oil predictions. The organization maintained relationships with the wider American free-market policy network. Its funding came from a mixture of foundations, individuals, and corporations. Publicly cited information reported that foundations represented the largest share of funding in one published breakdown, followed by individual and corporate contributions. External reporting also discussed financial support from Koch Industries and partial funding from the insurance industry. These funding references formed part of the public debate surrounding the institute's policy work, although the available reference material does not establish that any particular sponsor controlled a specific NCPA conclusion. NCPA underwent a major institutional conflict in 2014. The board and John C. Goodman accused one another of misconduct, and Goodman left the organization. By July 2016, public leadership listings identified Steve Ivy as board chairman, James H. Amos Jr. as president and chief executive officer, and Allen West as executive director. Their tenure occurred during the institution's final period. The think tank's financial position deteriorated over several years. Public nonprofit financial data showed changing revenue and expenditure levels, including periods in which expenses exceeded revenue. In July 2017, the board announced an immediate cessation of operations, attributing the decision to three years of serious financial difficulty. NCPA thus became defunct in mid-2017. Its original website and research output have since been preserved in part through websites and archives maintained by former board members or affiliated institutions, including NCPAThinkTank.org and materials associated with the Goodman Institute. These archival efforts preserve portions of the organization's intellectual record but do not indicate that the original NCPA continues as an active think tank.

• 2017

  Operations cease

  [1]National Center for Policy Analysisen.wikipedia.org

  The board voted to end operations immediately after several years of serious financial difficulty.

• 2016

  Leadership publicly listed

  [1]National Center for Policy Analysisen.wikipedia.org

  Public organizational listings identified Steve Ivy, James H. Amos Jr., and Allen West as chairman, president and CEO, and executive director, respectively.

• 2014

  Founding president departs

  [1]National Center for Policy Analysisen.wikipedia.org

  John C. Goodman left after a public dispute with the NCPA board involving mutual misconduct allegations.

• 1983

  Organization founded

  [1]National Center for Policy Analysisen.wikipedia.org

  The National Center for Policy Analysis was established in February by Antony Fisher and Dallas business leaders, with John C. Goodman as founding president.

A free-market and generally libertarian-oriented policy research organization focused on developing private alternatives to government regulation and public control.

• Research publication · 1983

  Public-policy research reports

  NCPA produced research and analytical publications on domestic policy topics such as health care, taxation, Social Security, welfare, education, energy, environmental regulation, and retirement. These publications generally presented market-oriented alternatives to government programs or regulation and were distributed for use by policymakers, journalists, and the public.

• Policy proposal

  Pension and 401(k) policy proposals

  A recurring area of NCPA work was retirement saving. The institute promoted pension reforms including automatic enrollment in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans, seeking to increase employee participation and private retirement accumulation. These proposals were discussed in media coverage of the organization's policy agenda.

• Policy analysis

  Environmental and energy policy analysis

  NCPA published work on environmental regulation, climate policy, energy markets, and peak-oil claims. Through participation in the Cooler Heads Coalition, it was associated with arguments against policies linked to the Kyoto Protocol and with criticism of the scientific and economic premises used by some climate-policy advocates.

• 2014

  Dispute between NCPA board and John C. Goodman

  The NCPA board and founding president John C. Goodman made mutual accusations of misconduct. Goodman subsequently left the organization. The supplied reference does not provide an adjudicated finding resolving the allegations.

  Source

Read more

• Private-sector pension reform advocacy

  United States

  NCPA advocated retirement-policy changes, including automatic enrollment in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans, as a market-oriented way to expand participation in private retirement saving.

  Outcome. The proposals received media attention, but the available reference material does not document a specific legislative outcome attributable to NCPA.

  Source
• Cooler Heads Coalition participation

  United States

  NCPA participated in the Cooler Heads Coalition, a network that opposed aspects of Kyoto Protocol-related policy and challenged arguments supporting climate regulation.

  Outcome. The coalition served as a platform for public-policy advocacy and commentary; no specific campaign outcome is established in the supplied material.

  Source

• 2017

  Board ends organizational operationsStrategy

  Background

  NCPA reported that it had experienced serious financial difficulty for three years before the decision.

  Action taken

  The board voted to cease operations immediately in July 2017.

  Aftermath

  The original NCPA became defunct. Portions of its publications and institutional history were later preserved through archival websites and materials associated with former members or affiliated institutions.

  Source

1. 1National Center for Policy Analysisen.wikipedia.org
2. 2NCPA publication archivencpathinktank.org
3. 3Goodman Institute historical materialsgoodmaninstitute.org